Snowflake Day 11
Jan. 11th, 2019 06:50 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
lightofdayeDay 11
In your own space, talk about your creative process(es) — anything from the initial inspiration to how you feel after something’s done. Do you struggle with motivation or is it a smooth process? Do you have any tricks up your sleeve to pull out when a fanwork isn’t cooperating? What is your level of planning to pantsing/winging it? Leave a comment in this post saying you did it. Include a link to your post if you feel comfortable doing so.
Now I didn't know where to start with this but then I remembered re-reading recently this passage from Patrick O'Brian's The Letter Of Marque when one of the protagonists meets a writer while walking and the writer gives a speech including these lines:
“But you must understand, sir, that each man has his particular way of writing, and mine is by mine is by saying my pieces over as I walk – I find the physical motion dispel the gross humours and encourage the flow of ideas. Yet that is where the danger lies: if it encourages them too vigorously, if my piece is formed to my full satisfaction, as just now I conceived the chapter in which Sophonisba confines Roderigo in the Iron Maiden on pretence of wanton play ad begins to turn the screw, why then it is done, finished; and my mind, my imagination will have nothing more to do with it- declines even to write it down., or, on compulsion records a mere frigid catalogue of unlikely statements. The only way for me to succeed is by a near-success, a coitus interruptus with my Muse, if you will forgive me the expression, and then running home to my pen for the full consummation. And this I cannot induce my bookseller to understand: I tell him that the work of the mind is essentially different from manual labour; I tell him that in the second case mere industry and application will hew a forest of wood and carry an ocean of water, whereas in the first. . . and he sends word that the press is at a stand, that he must have the promised twenty sheets by return.”
Now I have no idea if P.O.B was describing his own method here, or parodying a kind of writing he disliked or something else entirely but it does seem quite apt to me. There are essential three parts: inspiration, writing and posting.
So inspiration, now I don't talk my stuff outloud, but I do ponder it on walks, on my commute, in the bath and try and plot of plan things out and like the man in the book, I often find that I can think of lovely things when not in a position to write them down and then completely forgot them when I settle in front of a keyboard.
Inspiration can come from many sources, I have all of the Stephen Fry readings of the Harry Potter books on my mp3 player that I slowly loop through when I feel like. I follow many comms. I think vague prompts like![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
hp_may_madness or harry100 work better in some ways that prompt fests with more specific things, I often feel unpromptable looking through those.
Now for writing, I tend to writing on inspiration as in short bursts and spurts and do a short thing in a single sitting. Long thing I plan out, and write a scene or part of a scene at a time over a succession of nights.However there is a danger in that, too much planning and it seems already complete and impossible to write. Recently I've been listening to sound tracks like 'deep focus', 'music for concentration' or 'peaceful piano' while writing to help keep me in the mood.
As with the guy in the quote, when it's done. it is done. It's a failing that I fail to re-read or re-write or edit my works. I just leap straight to posting. Unless it's a fest fic in which case it does go to a beta first.
For posting, drabbles only go here and lj, larger more polished fic goes to Ao3 as well.
In your own space, talk about your creative process(es) — anything from the initial inspiration to how you feel after something’s done. Do you struggle with motivation or is it a smooth process? Do you have any tricks up your sleeve to pull out when a fanwork isn’t cooperating? What is your level of planning to pantsing/winging it? Leave a comment in this post saying you did it. Include a link to your post if you feel comfortable doing so.
Now I didn't know where to start with this but then I remembered re-reading recently this passage from Patrick O'Brian's The Letter Of Marque when one of the protagonists meets a writer while walking and the writer gives a speech including these lines:
“But you must understand, sir, that each man has his particular way of writing, and mine is by mine is by saying my pieces over as I walk – I find the physical motion dispel the gross humours and encourage the flow of ideas. Yet that is where the danger lies: if it encourages them too vigorously, if my piece is formed to my full satisfaction, as just now I conceived the chapter in which Sophonisba confines Roderigo in the Iron Maiden on pretence of wanton play ad begins to turn the screw, why then it is done, finished; and my mind, my imagination will have nothing more to do with it- declines even to write it down., or, on compulsion records a mere frigid catalogue of unlikely statements. The only way for me to succeed is by a near-success, a coitus interruptus with my Muse, if you will forgive me the expression, and then running home to my pen for the full consummation. And this I cannot induce my bookseller to understand: I tell him that the work of the mind is essentially different from manual labour; I tell him that in the second case mere industry and application will hew a forest of wood and carry an ocean of water, whereas in the first. . . and he sends word that the press is at a stand, that he must have the promised twenty sheets by return.”
Now I have no idea if P.O.B was describing his own method here, or parodying a kind of writing he disliked or something else entirely but it does seem quite apt to me. There are essential three parts: inspiration, writing and posting.
So inspiration, now I don't talk my stuff outloud, but I do ponder it on walks, on my commute, in the bath and try and plot of plan things out and like the man in the book, I often find that I can think of lovely things when not in a position to write them down and then completely forgot them when I settle in front of a keyboard.
Inspiration can come from many sources, I have all of the Stephen Fry readings of the Harry Potter books on my mp3 player that I slowly loop through when I feel like. I follow many comms. I think vague prompts like
hp_may_madness or harry100 work better in some ways that prompt fests with more specific things, I often feel unpromptable looking through those.Now for writing, I tend to writing on inspiration as in short bursts and spurts and do a short thing in a single sitting. Long thing I plan out, and write a scene or part of a scene at a time over a succession of nights.However there is a danger in that, too much planning and it seems already complete and impossible to write. Recently I've been listening to sound tracks like 'deep focus', 'music for concentration' or 'peaceful piano' while writing to help keep me in the mood.
As with the guy in the quote, when it's done. it is done. It's a failing that I fail to re-read or re-write or edit my works. I just leap straight to posting. Unless it's a fest fic in which case it does go to a beta first.
For posting, drabbles only go here and lj, larger more polished fic goes to Ao3 as well.
no subject
Date: 2019-01-11 09:19 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2019-01-11 10:19 pm (UTC)You do write massive fics! Editing is commensurately more important in those cases.
no subject
Date: 2019-01-11 10:23 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2019-01-13 02:42 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2019-01-13 09:34 am (UTC)this was interesting to read...
Date: 2019-02-16 10:23 pm (UTC)Do you also listen to music? It's one of the things I think it helps (more instrumental soundtracks than songs, but I listen to plenty of lyric-based songs too when writing)
also do you have a notepad app on your phone? that's usually good for when one gets a burst of inspiration but no pen/paper to write with
Re: this was interesting to read...
Date: 2019-02-18 07:54 pm (UTC)Typing on phone's a pain but could use the sound recorder I guess.
Re: this was interesting to read...
Date: 2019-02-19 02:05 am (UTC)mmmm... I think all phones regardless of model have a 'voice to text' option? maybe try that?
no subject
Date: 2019-12-07 08:30 pm (UTC)Sigh. Inspiration is a cruel mistress like that. Showering and driving for me, every time.
I had kind of picked up here and there that this was your process, but it's interesting to see it laid out like this.
no subject
Date: 2019-12-07 11:00 pm (UTC)Probably why stuff tends to be on the shorter side.
no subject
Date: 2019-12-07 11:05 pm (UTC)I edit, but at the end of the day, it's just fic, so. I'm willing to let a lot go as an author.
no subject
Date: 2019-12-07 08:50 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2019-12-07 11:02 pm (UTC)